Though I can't be 100% sure this really happened and wasn't part of an alcohol-induced fever dream, I think I met this guy once and had about 3 dozen words with him at a party thrown by a troupe of Side-show performers in NYC. He seemed like a decent fellow depite having some obvious issues

Definitely. This guy was right up there with so-called transsexuals and people who get their legs cut off.

And these people are allowed to vote, drive, and reproduce (if they're able).

Which is what's wrong with American "democracy": if I have to be ruled by a conglomerate of other people I'd rather it be people who are at least as sane and smart as I am. That should be easy, as most of those who are aware of my posting record here would agree. Why ain't it?

Marshall Willenholly:All of you who are making fun of him, enjoy the fact that you are sane and don't have a serious mental condition. Some of us have shiatty lives and we try to deal with them in whatever ways we can.

Wow, I was surprised and sad to hear this. I talked to Dennis online for awhile a few years back and he was a really calm and nice guy, very zen-like. Although I'm not totally shocked that it was suicide. Despite his outward appearance he was a bit of an introvert and could well have been depressed without anyone knowing.

Cat was a very close friend. We were essentially family to each other after the passing of my first husband. He helped me through some of the most troubling times in my life.

He was a man of great intelligence. Someone you could always turn to when you needed a straight forward answer. I can't imagine him ever feeling such despair in life to take his own. We lost touch a few months ago but at the time he was in good spirits.

He was well loved by those whose life he touched. My heart goes out to his family and friends. I know there are plenty of negative comments that will be posted in this thread by those who would not do so had they had a chance to know him.

Therion:Sandinista81: Im still wondering how tigers became a totem animal in North America?

Me too.

Everyone know tigers are from Africa.

[i125.photobucket.com image 636x438]

Sorry, but it's a well established though little known fact that the Hurons hunted the North American Tiger to extinction. The exact date of the final kill is, of course, unknown but recent archeological finds in southern Canada place the event somewhere between the seventh and eighth centuries BC. The skin of the North American Tiger figured prominently in the Huron culture as a symbol reserved for tribal chieftans. The claws and teeth were given out as rewards for contributions to the tribe's well being to individual members, much as a letter of commendation might be bestowed today.

The North American Tiger was somewhat smaller than its African cousin but was revered by Huron society for its ferocious demeanor. The use of the tiger's likeness was reserverd for the totems of the chieftans and therefore very few examples survived.

Cagey B:There are no Mondays where you're going, ol' buddy, and the lasagna's always free.

Death does not work that way - you exist until you don't - no peace to factor in, your consciousness simply no longer exists. Unless you are saying there is something peaceful about suicide?

Okay. Okay. Relax we get that you refute the existence of a soul, etc. Nobody cares. You're giving the rest of us atheists a bad name.

This the sad story of a dead kitty. I haz sad.

This should have been on Caturday.

Well, if he would have done it a couple of days sooner, or waited a few more days.....

On a related note, as other's have said, this guy was definetly crying out for help.Of course if someone assumed that and tried to help, some people would get all offended... "he's just expressing himself... there is nothing wrong with getting tattoos... it's his choice..."

Oh, I see the Fark armchair psychiatrists are out in full force today.

I met Stalking Cat over a decade ago, as well as Lizardman (pic above) and many, many, many more just as or nearly as modified. They are just the same as everybody else, except they have the strength to do their own thing. Y'all espouse individualism but very very few actually know what that means. The modified people I know range from the homeless to multi-millionaires. Same with the non-modified people I know. I worked in the body modification industry for a decade and though I'm not visibly different, I've had extensive work done. And I also have two degrees, including a master's in architecture and a totally fun but mostly average life.

Please resist the urge to pigeonhole this man based on his looks. It's very sad when anybody takes his own life. Non-modified people take their lives, too.

No. He knows this because there IS no coming back from the dead, no matter what your specific fairy tale of choice is or whom your imaginary friends are. This is why the human being, just like any other animal instinctively seeks to continue its own existence. If religious people really were secure in their continued life after death, they wouldn't bother with mourning the dead.

Sandinista81:Im still wondering how tigers became a totem animal in North America?

Good question. I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and try to explain this - mind you, this is just my thinking. This may not be fact at all...

The Native Americans (which is a term I prefer over Indians, for that misnomer is one of the dumbest mistakes in human history), are descended from populations from Asia that migrated here. It took a helluva long time, of course. 1000's of years. And they had to travel all the way though northern Russia and Alaska before making their way to areas where they could where almost no clothing and still be comfortable.

The point is, where they originated HAS tigers. Lots of them, in fact. So, I'm sure that they are present in their folklore.

A number of years ago I watched an episode of Ripley's Believe it or Not with my daughter who was about 10 at the time. About a month later we went to Vegas to visit my brother. While there we decided to take the kids to the Siegfried and Roy exhibit to see the dolphins and large cats. We were wandering around and the kids were having a great time. My daughter kept saying, "Mom! It's the cat man! It's the cat man!" I was trying to keep track of a toddler at the time and since we were there to see large cats I didn't really pay attention to what she was saying at first. "Ya, there's lots of big cats, huh honey." "No mom! It's the guy from TV!" So I finally looked at what she was talking about and this gentelman was standing about 15 feet away from us looking at the tiger exhibit. It was cool to seehim up close. We approached him and he was very kind to my daughter and even let me take a picture of them togther. My toddler was terrified. I would love to post the pic but sadly, it's in storage.

ToastTheRabbit:Cat was a very close friend. We were essentially family to each other after the passing of my first husband. He helped me through some of the most troubling times in my life.

He was a man of great intelligence. Someone you could always turn to when you needed a straight forward answer. I can't imagine him ever feeling such despair in life to take his own. We lost touch a few months ago but at the time he was in good spirits.

He was well loved by those whose life he touched. My heart goes out to his family and friends. I know there are plenty of negative comments that will be posted in this thread by those who would not do so had they had a chance to know him.

RIP Stalking Cat. You can never be replaced.

If he was such a good friend, maybe you should have done something.. I dunno... to help him. Just saying...I know, I know... he was perfectly normal, except that he was slowly transforming in to a cat and liked to lick his own balls.....

fluffy2097:You are just as bad as all the other religious fundamentalists.

I agree that he's an asshat, but I don't see these guys blowing themselves up in crowded markets for the glory of Allah or torturing their gay children into suicide. He's just a run of the mill insufferable jerk, which makes him a hell of a lot better than an actual religious fundamentalist.